The forum is open to all, but parking space at The Field School is limited. Overflow parking will be available across the street in the Crozet Elementary School parking lot.

The forum will be moderated by Dori Zook, award-winning journalist and anchor/reporter for news radio WINA

Question and answer (Q&A) format with the following candidates have agreed to attend:
* Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in the White Hall District two candidates: Ann Mallek and Brad Rykal
* Albemarle County School Board in the White Hall District two candidates: Rebecca Berlin and Joann McDermid
* Albemarle County School Board At-Large two candidates: Meg Bryce and Allison Spillman.

The forum will be filmed and recorded by the Crozet Gazette and posted to their YouTube channel. (Video of the forum is available by clicking here.)

The forum is sponsored by the Crozet Leadership Team:
Cory Farm – Steve Walsworth
Foothill Crossing – Laura Bartlett and Ron Wade
Foxchase – Matthew Watson
Grayrock – Elizabeth Foreman and Troy Lane
Orchard Acres – Tonya Hicks
Park Lane – Kyle Hara and Isaiah Behnke
Stonegate – Joan Fadden
Western Ridge – Kimberly Gale and Kacie Miller
Westlake – Bill O’Malley, Rashmi Ghei, Carol Fairborn
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Other details of the forum:

A timekeeper will be in front of the candidates to alert them of their remaining answer time, and there will be an audio setup with microphones for the candidates.

Staging: The candidates will sit at the front of the room facing the audience. The moderator will sit at a table with her back to the audience. Panelists will flank her on either side, as they sort the questions from the audience being careful not to present repetitive questions.

Event management: The moderator will speak to the attendees as the event begins and explain our rules and why they’re important. No reactions from attendees will be allowed, including clapping, shouting, holding signs, or other interruptions. We will have volunteers stationed throughout the room to enforce this policy. We will have an Albemarle County Police officer present in the room.

Questions: The questions asked of candidates will be derived from two sources. One source is the Crozet Leadership Team panelists— each panelist will ask one question per topic, directly to the candidates on topics germane to the role for which the candidates are running. The second will be a mix of questions submitted to the Crozet Leadership team from the Crozet community and questions taken directly from the audience in the room. First priority will be given to the questions submitted by the audience and second priority to the questions submitted in advance.

Format: Each candidate may make a 2-minute opening statement. During the questioning segment, candidates will have 1 minute to respond. Questions will be posed to all candidates, alternating between them as to who answers first. At no point will candidates field questions directly from the audience during the forum, though we do invite them to stay for a bit after the event to mingle with voters if they’d like. With this format we hope to be able get through 8 general topics, If we can keep within our time limits. Each candidate may make a 1-minute closing statement. Topics will be provided to the candidates at least one week prior to the event.

The Eleventh Annual Crozet Independence Day Parade and Celebration –  Saturday, July  1, 2023

Click here to jump down to donation information.

Click here to jump down to volunteer information.

Click here to jump down to exiting Crozet Park after the celebration.

It all starts with the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) parade at 5:00 PM at Crozet Elementary School and goes down Crozet Avenue through downtown Crozet to Claudius Crozet Park.  The Parade Grand Marshal is Chuck Kennedy.

If you would like to be a part of the 2023 Crozet Firemen’s parade, please submit your entry to be in the parade  to ensure you are included in the lineup. Lineup will be based on a first come basis. Horses/livestock will be placed near or at the end of the parade. Lineup will begin at 4:00 P.M. at Crozet Elementary School and the parade ends at Claudius Crozet Park.

The celebration begins at Claudius Crozet Park after the parade.    Bring a lawn chair if you want to be comfortable as you listen to the local band Ian Gilliam and the FireKings.   Traditional American Fourth of July fare will be available, including hot dogs,  hamburgers, chicken, funnel cake, BBQ, and sno-cones, as well as vegetarian and vegan choices, tacos, and other favorites! Local beer and Bold Rock Cider will also be available for a separate cost.  Kids amusements are available as well.   Event culminates at 9:30 PM with a stupendous fireworks show. (We have it at 9:30 PM so it’s late enough to be dark, but not too late to for the youngsters to view the show.)

There are no dogs or pets allowed in the event

Designated smoking areas are provided and we ask that you only smoke in those areas.  If you live nearby Crozet Park, we encourage you to walk!

How much would you pay for such good times?  All that’s asked is a donation of $5 per person (and  children 9 years and under are free) as you enter the festivities (parking is free and exiting quick).  The non-profit civic groups in Crozet are the ones that benefit from any money raised above the cost of the event, so please be generous.  Most years, we’ve donated over $6,000 to CVFD, WARS, and other civic groups.

Check out our Facebook page at: http://facebook.com/Crozet.Independence.Day.Celebration

Download a copy of our flyer by clicking here.

The event is sponsored by the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, Crozet Community Association, Crozet Board of Trade, Claudius Crozet Park, Crozet Lions Club, Crozet Community Church, Crozet Trails Crew and citizen volunteers.

Making a Contribution

These events involve a lot of donated time from a lot of individuals, but they can’t happen without financial contributions, too. We want everyone to enjoy our small-town event, so we ask for donations at the entrance – A donation of $5 per person (and  children 9 and under are free) as you enter the festivities (parking is free and exiting after the fireworks is quick).  Your donation helps to pay for the fireworks and event expenses.

$10,000 Matching Gift Challenge for Crozet Fireworks Fund!

An anonymous donor will match up to $10,000 in contributions to the Crozet fireworks fund. The cost of Crozet’s traditional Fourth of July fireworks show doubled this year to $18,000. The show has been held at Crozet Park since the end of World War II, financed by public contributions.The Crozet Board of Trade, a non-profit organization of local businesses and like-minded citizens that supports civic causes for the town, has collected for the fireworks fund since 2010, when the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department was forced to give up its sponsorship of the holiday celebration because of growing call demands on the volunteer firefighters.

The CBT paid the deposit to secure the show and is raising money now to pay the second half of the cost, as well as the deposit for the 2024 show—which is expected to cost $30,000—that will be due In January. The total goal of the 2023 campaign is $30,000. While we think your gift is tax-deductible, we recommend you consult your tax advisor about deducting this donation.

The non-profit civic groups in Crozet are the ones that benefit from any money raised above the cost of the event.  Most years we’ve donated over $6,000 to local civic groups, including the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, Western Albemarle Rescue Squad, Claudius Crozet Park, and the Crozet Trails Crew (among others), so please be generous.

Of course, we appreciate all donations, but to boost our efforts to cover the fireworks, we have three leadership donor levels and we are hoping that you will show your support by becoming a lead patron this year.

• For a gift of $500 or more, if you provide us with your banner, we will display that banner at the entrance to the park during the event, identify your patron status in the Crozet Gazette and event handbill and provide you with ten passes to the celebration in the park.
• For a gift of $250 to $499, you will receive published thanks in the Crozet Gazette and event handbill and four passes to the celebration in the park.
• And, for a gift of $100 to $249 you will receive published thanks in the Crozet Gazette and the event handbill and two passes to the celebration in the park.

July 1st  will be here before you know it.  Won’t you join us by contributing whatever you can afford?  If being a lead patron is too much this year, please send whatever you can afford and help us match the $10,000 challenge!     Thank you!

Please make your donation by Monday, June 26 in order to be listed on the event  handbill. 

1. 1. You can mail a check payable to: Crozet Board of Trade and send it to: CBT, P.O. Box 261, Crozet, VA 22932.  Please put  “CIDC donation” on the memo line.
   2. You can contribute right now, online, by clicking on this link: 
      • Please put “CIDC donation” in the Designation box.

Thank you for your generous support!

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It takes a village – won’t you help out on Saturday, July 1st for an hour?

We need your help for just an hour or two on Saturday, July 1st.  The sign-up website to help with the Crozet Independence Day Celebration (CIDC)  Saturday, July 1, between 5PM to 10PM (or Sunday morning to pick up the park).  There are a variety of tasks and time slots. Most of the time slots are only an hour – so there’s lots of ways to help and still enjoy the event.

To volunteer for an hour, please click here.

When you sign-up it will ask for your name, email and, optionally phone number.  No one else can see your email and phone.  We promise we won’t share it.  It’s helpful for us to have it if something happens and we need to let you know about a last minute change.

We urge church groups, civic and neighborhood associations to sign-up.  Crozet Trails Crew and the Crozet Fellowship Church each have already volunteered to staff one spot the whole evening!  Let’s see which group can have the most volunteers!

With your help, we can make this Crozet Independence Day celebration the best ever!

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Exiting Crozet Park after the Celebration!

Exiting Crozet Park after the celebration should be quick and smooth this year.  Lenoir Parking will be guiding everyone out of the park at the main entrance/exit.  (Please do NOT park along Hilltop Street or Indigo Road.)